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Rob Jetten

Rob Jetten
Knownlyx encyclopedia image
Jetten in 2025
Prime Minister of the Netherlands
Incumbent
Assumed office
23 February 2026
MonarchWillem-Alexander
Deputy
Preceded byDick Schoof
Leader of the Democrats 66
Incumbent
Assumed office
12 August 2023
Preceded bySigrid Kaag
Prior ministerial roles
First Deputy Prime Minister of the Netherlands
In office
8 January 2024 – 2 July 2024
Prime MinisterMark Rutte
Preceded bySigrid Kaag
Succeeded byFleur Agema
Minister for Climate and Energy Policy
In office
10 January 2022 – 2 July 2024
Prime MinisterMark Rutte
Preceded byOffice established
Succeeded bySophie Hermans (as Minister of Climate and Green Growth)
Acting Minister of Finance
In office
8 January 2024 – 12 January 2024
Prime MinisterMark Rutte
Preceded bySigrid Kaag
Succeeded bySteven van Weyenberg
Party offices
Leader of the Democrats 66
in the House of Representatives
In office
6 December 2023 – 23 February 2026
Preceded byJan Paternotte
In office
9 October 2018 – 28 September 2021
Preceded byAlexander Pechtold
Succeeded bySigrid Kaag
President of the Young Democrats
In office
October 2008 – October 2009
Preceded byFloris Kreiken
Succeeded byThomas Bakker
Member of the House of Representatives
In office
6 December 2023 – 23 February 2026
In office
23 March 2017 – 10 January 2022
Member of the Nijmegen Municipal Council
In office
11 March 2010 – 29 March 2017
Personal details
BornRob Arnoldus Adrianus Jetten
(1987-03-25) 25 March 1987 (age 38)
Veghel, Netherlands
PartyDemocrats 66
Domestic partnerNicolás Keenan (engaged)
Alma materRadboud University (BA, MA)
SignatureKnownlyx archive image

Rob Arnoldus Adrianus Jetten (Dutch: [ˈrɔp ˈjɛtə(n)]; born 25 March 1987) is a Dutch politician serving as Prime Minister of the Netherlands since 23 February 2026.[1] He has also been serving as leader of the Democrats 66 (D66) since August 2023. Previously, he served in the fourth Rutte cabinet as Minister for Climate and Energy Policy from 2022 to 2024 and as First Deputy Prime Minister of the Netherlands in 2024.

Jetten began his political career as a policy advisor for the D66 and as chair of the Young Democrats, and served in the municipal council of Nijmegen from 2010 to 2017. He was elected to the House of Representatives in the 2017 general election and was chosen as D66's youngest ever parliamentary leader in 2018. Following the resignation of Sigrid Kaag, Jetten became D66's leader ahead of the 2023 general election, in which D66 lost several seats, forcing them into opposition.

Jetten replaced Kaag as the outgoing First Deputy Prime Minister in 2024. In the 2025 general election, Jetten led D66 to its best-ever general election result as D66 became the joint-largest party in parliament. A four-month cabinet formation led to the minority Jetten cabinet in February 2026, which made Jetten the youngest person, the first openly gay person, and the first politician from the D66 party to serve as Prime Minister of the Netherlands.

Early life and education

Rob Arnoldus Adrianus Jetten was born on 25 March 1987 in Veghel, North Brabant, Netherlands, and grew up in Uden. He received his secondary education at Udens College [nl] between 1999 and 2005. He then studied at Radboud University between 2005 and 2011, where he obtained a BA and an MA in public administration.[2][3] After a period as a management trainee at the Dutch railway authority ProRail, he continued working there as a consultant and as a regional supply manager for the northeastern Netherlands.[4]

Political career

Early career

Jetten began his political career as a policy advisor for the Democrats 66 (D66) parliamentary group in the Senate of the States General and as the chairman of the Young Democrats. In addition, between 2010 and 2017, he was a member of the municipal council of Nijmegen. In the 2017 general election, he was elected as a member of the House of Representatives. Jetten then became his party's spokesperson for climate, energy and gas, railways, democratic renewal and economic affairs.[5]

On 9 October 2018, Jetten was chosen as the new parliamentary leader of D66 in the House of Representatives, succeeding Alexander Pechtold.[6] This did not automatically make him the new party leader as the new leader eventually was to be chosen in the 2020 Democrats 66 leadership election. Aged 31, Jetten became the youngest ever parliamentary leader of D66. After his election, Jetten faced criticism in Dutch media because of his relative young age.[7] He was nicknamed Robot Jetten due to his rehearsed answers.[8]

In June 2020, Jetten announced that he would not submit a candidacy for the position of party leader, naming Sigrid Kaag as a better candidate.[9] He was instead put in second place on D66's candidate list.[10] When the fourth Rutte cabinet was sworn in on 10 January 2022, Jetten became Minister for Climate and Energy Policy. Under his leadership, the Dutch government announced plans in 2022 to invest 750 million euros ($789 million) through to 2031 to have the country's gas network operator Gasunie develop a national hydrogen transportation network.[11]

Party leader

Knownlyx encyclopedia image
Jetten with European Parliament President Roberta Metsola in 2023

On 14 July 2023, Jetten announced his candidacy to become the next leader of the D66.[12] He succeeded Sigrid Kaag after she announced that she would not lead D66 into the 2023 general election, due to the impact of the "hate, intimidation and threats" she received against her family.[13] Jetten returned to the House of Representatives as parliamentary leader after the election, in which D66 obtained 9 seats, a loss of 24.[14] Following Kaag's resignation effective 8 January 2024 to fill a role at the United Nations, Jetten took over her position as Deputy Prime Minister, and he served as acting Minister of Finance for four days.[15][16][17] However, his tasks for the latter were in practice delegated to State Secretary for Finance Marnix van Rij.[18]

Jetten's term as minister ended on 2 July 2024, when the Schoof cabinet was sworn in.[19] When that cabinet presented its 2025 budget which included €2 billion in education cuts, Jetten formed the self-named "unholy alliance" with centrist and conservative opposition parties. Coalition parties needed additional support in the Senate, but D66 pulled out of negotiations in early December 2024, a week before an agreement was reached to reverse €750 million of the cuts.[20][21] During the Russian invasion of Ukraine, he advocated for Dutch defense spending to rise from 2% to 3% of gross domestic product, believing that Europe could no longer rely on the United States for its security following the second inauguration of US president Donald Trump in 2025.[22]

In the 2025 general election, Jetten's Democrats 66 (D66) party and the right-wing populist party PVV ended up jointly being the largest parties, each winning 26 seats in the House. D66 experienced their best-ever result in general elections.[23] Jetten was credited for his optimism during the campaign.[24][25] In the following cabinet formation, D66 agreed to form a minority cabinet with the People's Party for Freedom and Democracy (VVD) and the Christian Democratic Appeal (CDA).[26]

Prime Minister

Jetten was appointed as formateur on 3 February 2026. Debate in the legislature before his appointment as formateur focused on the proposed plans of his proposed parliamentary coalition to increase the age for the Algemene Ouderdomswet.[27] The minority Jetten cabinet was inaugurated on 23 February 2026, which made Jetten the youngest person, the first openly gay person, and the first politician from the Democrats 66 party to serve as the Prime Minister of the Netherlands.[28][29]

The coalition agreement, entitled "Getting to Work!", promises "a better climate for investment" and tax measures favourable to businesses.[30] Citizens, for their part, will be required to pay a "freedom contribution", a new tax intended to finance the increase in military spending. The government of Jetten also announced cuts to social spending, particularly in the healthcare budget, the reduction of the duration of unemployment benefits from 24 to 12 months, and lower benefits paid to people who are unable to work. The conditions for qualifying for a full pension will be tightened, and the retirement age could be raised to 70. The prime minister also promised the construction of new cities to address the housing crisis, as well as the building of nuclear power plants.[31][32][30]

Personal life

Jetten is gay.[33] He has been in a same-sex relationship with bisexual Argentine field hockey player Nicolás Keenan[34] since 2022. The two announced their engagement in November 2024.[35][36]

Electoral history

Electoral history of Rob Jetten
Year Body Party Pos. Votes Result Ref.
Party seats Individual
2017 House of Representatives Democrats 66 12 4,903 19 Won [37]
2021 2 45,771 24 Won [38]
2023 1 437,371 9 Won [39]
2025 1 1,209,849 26 Won [40]

Honours

References

  1. ^ "Koning beëdigt kabinet-Jetten op 23 februari". nu.nl (in Dutch). Archived from the original on 15 February 2026. Retrieved 11 February 2026.
  2. ^ "Alumnus Rob Jetten is de nieuwe minister voor Klimaat en Energie". Radboud Universiteit (in Dutch). 10 January 2022. Archived from the original on 6 December 2025. Retrieved 10 September 2022.
  3. ^ "Rob Jetten". Government.nl (in Dutch). Ministerie van Algemene Zaken. 23 February 2026. Archived from the original on 8 April 2024. Retrieved 25 February 2026.
  4. ^ van Mersbergen, Chris (9 October 2018). "Carrière Rob Jetten gaat héél erg snel". AD (in Dutch). Archived from the original on 9 April 2023. Retrieved 8 December 2018.
  5. ^ "Meet Rob Jetten, who is likely to become the youngest PM of the Netherlands". The Indian Express. 23 February 2026. Archived from the original on 14 November 2025. Retrieved 23 February 2026.
  6. ^ "Rob Jetten nieuwe fractievoorzitter D66". NOS (in Dutch). Archived from the original on 9 April 2023. Retrieved 14 October 2018.
  7. ^ "Waarom D66'er Rob Jetten zoveel weerstand oproept". Adformatie.nl (in Dutch). Archived from the original on 12 October 2025. Retrieved 25 March 2019.
  8. ^ Hoogendoorn, Inge (22 February 2026). "Jetten na bliksemcarrière jongste premier ooit" [Jetten becomes youngest prime minister ever after lightning career]. NOS. Retrieved 22 February 2026.
  9. ^ "Rob Jetten gaat niet voor lijsttrekkerschap D66: 'Kaag is betere kandidaat'" [Rob Jetten is not running for D66 leadership: 'Kaag is a better candidate']. RTL (in Dutch). 23 June 2020. Retrieved 22 February 2026.
  10. ^ "D66-kandidaten bekend: 'Ervaren Kamerleden en nieuwe talenten'" [D66 candidates announced: 'Experienced MPs and new talent']. NOS (in Dutch). 11 November 2020. Archived from the original on 4 June 2024. Retrieved 22 February 2026.
  11. ^ Toby Sterling (29 June 2022), Dutch government to invest 750 mln euros to develop hydrogen network Archived 17 September 2023 at the Wayback Machine Reuters.
  12. ^ Nieuwenhuis, Marcia; Hoedeman, Jan (14 July 2023). "Rob Jetten stelt zich kandidaat als nieuwe lijsttrekker van D66". Algemeen Dagblad (in Dutch). Archived from the original on 15 November 2025. Retrieved 6 November 2023.
  13. ^ "Dutch finance minister quits after 'hate and threats'". Daily Sun. Agence France-Presse. 14 July 2023. Retrieved 24 November 2025.
  14. ^ "Verdeling van portefeuilles Tweede Kamerfractie" [Portfolio allocation House of Representatives group]. Democrats 66 (in Dutch). Archived from the original on 13 July 2024. Retrieved 10 March 2024.
  15. ^ "Sigrid Kaag heeft nieuwe baan, Rob Jetten wordt demissionair minister van Financiën en vicepremier" [Sigrid Kaag has a new job, Rob Jetten becomes outgoing Minister of Finance and Deputy Prime Minister]. BNR Nieuwsradio (in Dutch). 8 January 2024. Archived from the original on 10 September 2025. Retrieved 8 January 2024.
  16. ^ "Van Weyenberg minister van Financiën, Gräper staatssecretaris van Cultuur" [Van Weyenberg Minister of Finance, Gräper State Secretary for Culture and Media]. NOS (in Dutch). 10 January 2024. Archived from the original on 10 January 2024. Retrieved 12 January 2024.
  17. ^ "Steven van Weyenberg". Government of the Netherlands. 5 December 2023. Archived from the original on 18 January 2024. Retrieved 12 January 2024.
  18. ^ "Kaag stopt als minister, wordt per 8 januari VN-gezant voor wederopbouw Gaza" [Kaag steps down as minister, will become UN reconstruction coordinator for Gaza effective 8 January]. NOS (in Dutch). 26 December 2023. Archived from the original on 27 December 2023. Retrieved 13 January 2024.
  19. ^ "Ministers en staatssecretarissen kabinet-Schoof beëdigd" [Ministers and state secretaries of Schoof cabinet sworn in]. NOS (in Dutch). 2 July 2024. Archived from the original on 2 July 2024. Retrieved 2 July 2024.
  20. ^ Meijer, Remco (11 December 2024). "Coalitie en vier oppositiepartijen eens over afgezwakte bezuinigingen op onderwijsbegroting" [Coalition and four opposition parties in agreement on watered-down cuts in education budget]. de Volkskrant (in Dutch). Archived from the original on 16 December 2025. Retrieved 14 December 2024.
  21. ^ Oving, Sanne; Slompt, Priscilla (5 December 2024). "D66 stapt uit overleg over onderwijsbegroting, andere partijen praten wel door" [D66 pulls out of talks about education budget, other parties will continue]. NU.nl (in Dutch). Archived from the original on 15 November 2025. Retrieved 5 December 2024.
  22. ^ Righton, Natalie (18 January 2025). "D66 twijfelt aan toewijding Trump en wil 10 miljard euro per jaar extra in defensie steken" [D66 doubts Trump's devotion and wants to spend an additional 10 billion euro per year on defense]. de Volkskrant (in Dutch). Archived from the original on 24 November 2025. Retrieved 23 January 2025.
  23. ^ Meijer, Bart; Sterling, Toby; Deutsch, Anthony (30 October 2025). "Dutch centrist D66 party wins big in election as Wilders loses support". Reuters. Retrieved 30 October 2025.
  24. ^ van Teutem, Simon (30 October 2025). "D66 laat zien hoe progressieve politiek kan winnen: met optimisme en een Nederlandse vlag" [D66 shows how progressive politics can win: with optimism and a Dutch flag]. De Correspondent (in Dutch). Retrieved 22 February 2026.
  25. ^ "The Guardian view on the Dutch election: an uplifting victory for the politics of hope not hate". The Guardian. 2 November 2025. Retrieved 22 February 2026.
  26. ^ "D66, CDA en VVD kiezen voor minderheidskabinet, uitzonderlijk in Nederland" [D66, CDA and VVD opt for a minority cabinet, exceptional in the Netherlands]. NOS. 9 January 2026. Archived from the original on 5 February 2026. Retrieved 22 February 2026.
  27. ^ "Jetten zet stap richting Torentje tijdens debat dat vooral over AOW ging" [Jetten takes a step towards Torentje during a debate that was mainly about AOW]. RTL (in Dutch). 4 February 2026. Archived from the original on 4 February 2026. Retrieved 4 February 2026.
  28. ^ "Rob Jetten becomes Netherlands' youngest ever prime minister". www.bbc.com. 23 February 2026.
  29. ^ "Nieuwe kabinet officieel op 23 februari op bordes koning" [Jetten cabinet officially sworn in and can get to work]. NOS (in Dutch). 23 February 2026. Archived from the original on 23 February 2026. Retrieved 23 February 2026.
  30. ^ a b "Coalition agreement 2026: fiscal highlights and key takeaways".
  31. ^ Pascoe, Robin (30 January 2026). "Next Dutch gov't will be a "cabinet of collaboration": Jetten". DutchNews.nl. Retrieved 25 February 2026.
  32. ^ "New Dutch PM Jetten faces uphill task as minority government installed". Reuters.
  33. ^ van den Berg, Stephanie (30 October 2025). "Centrist Rob Jetten could become Netherlands' youngest and first openly gay prime minister". Reuters. Retrieved 2 November 2025.
  34. ^ Holmes, Jon. "Bisexual hockey player congratulated by his politician boyfriend at Olympics". OutSports. Retrieved 17 October 2024.
  35. ^ "Rob Jetten heeft grote liefde ten huwelijk gevraagd: 'Was nerveuzer dan ik dacht'" [Rob Jetten has proposed to his great love: 'I was more nervous than I thought']. Linda (in Dutch). 26 November 2024. Retrieved 17 February 2026.
  36. ^ de Kruif, Hester (14 February 2026). "Wat wordt de rol van Rob Jettens 'first gentleman' Nicolás Keenan?" [What will be the role of Rob Jetten's 'first gentleman,' Nicolás Keenan?]. EWmagazine.nl (in Dutch). Retrieved 17 February 2026.
  37. ^ "Uitslag Tweede Kamerverkiezing 2017 (getekend exemplaar)" [Results House of Representatives 2017 (signed example)] (PDF). Dutch Electoral Council (in Dutch). 21 March 2017. pp. 114–115. Archived from the original on 14 August 2020. Retrieved 21 December 2023.
  38. ^ "Proces-verbaal verkiezingsuitslag Tweede Kamer 2021" [Report of the election results House of Representatives 2021] (PDF). Dutch Electoral Council (in Dutch). 29 March 2021. pp. 62–100, 188. Archived from the original on 8 April 2025. Retrieved 21 December 2023.
  39. ^ "Proces-verbaal van de uitslag van de verkiezing van de Tweede Kamer der Staten-Generaal 2023 d.d. 4 december 2023" [Report of the results of the election of the House of Representatives on 4 December 2023] (PDF). Dutch Electoral Council (in Dutch). 4 December 2023. pp. 19–20. Archived from the original on 4 December 2023. Retrieved 21 December 2023.
  40. ^ "Proces-verbaal van het centraal stembureau met de uitslag van de verkiezing van de Tweede Kamer 2025 d.d. 7 november 2025" [Report of the central electoral committee with the results of the 2025 election of the House of Representatives dated 7 November 2025] (PDF). Electoral Council (in Dutch). 7 November 2025. pp. 25–26, 130. Archived from the original on 14 November 2025. Retrieved 21 November 2025.
  41. ^ "Real Decreto 377/2024, de 9 de abril, por el que se concede la Gran Cruz de la Orden del Mérito Civil a las personalidades neerlandesas que se citan" [Royal Decree 377/2024, of April 9, by which the Grand Cross of the Order of Civil Merit is awarded to the Dutch personalities mentioned.] (in Spanish). 9 April 2024.

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Source: Wikipedia.